Review: RAGE OF THE MUMMY (2018)
Nobody can accuse Dennis Vincent of not being dedicated to his craft. He not only wrote and directed RAGE OF THE MUMMY he edited it, worked on the effects, cinematography, played the Mummy, and more. Indeed he has ten separate credits on the film, which certainly shows his dedication to getting the project made. Is the end result worth it?
A low budget take on the classic Universal films Mummy of the 40s and 50s, RAGE OF THE MUMMY shows just how low that budget was at the start. A two-man excavation team enters the tomb dressed not in desert wear but in normal street clothes. If you truly hate micro-budget films this is your cue to leave. However, if you’re like me, you’re not going anywhere.
The plot is simple enough, the tomb of Prince Horus-Kan is violated by looters hired by an occult society The Pharaohs of Darkness. Of course, the tomb carries a curse and vengeance will be brought down upon those responsible. All of this is accompanied by an English accented narrator, (Matt Block, THE JURASSIC DEAD, 10/31 PART 2), giving the feel of a rather bizarre PBS documentary.
Thankfully RAGE OF THE MUMMY doesn’t take itself overly seriously. The director compares it to CREEPSHOW and THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES. That might be aiming a bit high, but it’s an accurate description of the film’s tone. It even makes use of comic style animated cut scenes in places.
We don’t get a lot of effects beyond the Mummy himself, and it looks pretty good. It has the power to shoot bandages from its fingers and cocoon its victims, but we rarely see it happen. Its human form (Kevon Ward PARAMEDICS) though maybe even scarier. He looks like some hipster that’s about to hit you up for a handout so they can go to Starbucks. I do wish there had been fewer animated cutaways and a few more effects. Given the budget though, that wasn’t happening.
The cast is a mix of unknowns and faces that’ll be familiar from other similar films such as Ketrick ‘Jazz’ Copeland (RONDO), Heath C. Heine (MONSTER FORCE ZERO, TERROR TALES, which director Vincent was a gaffer on as well) and Scott Croushore (RYDE OR DIE).
As noted, it could have used a few more effects, and after a while, the kills start to feel a bit samey. But overall RAGE OF THE MUMMY is an enjoyable diversion made with talent and love for the genre.
RAGE OF THE MUMMY is available on Amazon and on DVD in the US and UK. You can check for updates and future platform availability on its Facebook page.